Why should schools prioritize student's mental health?
A moral perspective...
Mission
Providing effective mental wellness support has become an essential part of educational institutions. Raising awareness of teenagers’ mental health is an overall trend in most Western countries and many other regions as well. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “As many as 14-25% (over 800,000 in Canada) of children and youth experience significant mental health issues (Waddell, Shepherd, Chen, & Boyle, 2013; Boyle & Georgiades, 2009; Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2009; Waddell, Offord, Shepherd, Hua, & McEwan, 2002). School, as places with a high destiny of teenagers are therefore obligated to support and guide them in some way.
A PR perspective...
Public Image
Since researches show that teenagers around the world need such support available to when in school, from a PR perspective. Not responding to the demands of a core demographic could potentially lead to crisis of dissociation between students and the school, to serious issues such as loss of trust in the service provider, bad reputation, and potential obstacles in future recruitment.
An academic perspective...
Education
From an academic perspective, students who have access to robust mental health support are also more likely to perform their best in academics and behaviour. Researches has separately proven that mental illnesses like depression or anxiety that are frequently seen in teenagers can contribute to poor academic performance and attendance.
Learn more about the impacts of mental health on teenagers' performance at school
National Library of Medicine
Indenpendent School Management
A safety perspective...
Responsibility
The number one responsibility of a school is undoubtedly maintaining the safety of staff and students before anything else. From a safety perspective, providing reliable and effective support can prevent teenagers from engaging in behaviour such as self-harm or even suicide. The suicide of a single student is already an unwanted and unfortunate outcome, but it could also lead to negative impacts on the student body as a whole.
Mental Health In schools -British Columbia Provincial Government
Students' Voice
To collect authentic perspectives, I did a small-range survey of the teenagers around me.
Highlights from the result:
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Only 25.5% of the respondents answered that they did not experience any concerns related to mental health.
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21.6% of the respondents answered that seeking mental health support is embarrassing to them.
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68% of the respondents answered that their school failed to provide effective support for students with mental health concerns
See the full report